James Woods

The poster child for "intense actor," James Woods made an indelible impression on moviegoers with his no-holds-barred performances as fast-talking, hard-nosed, often violent men. Possessing a keen int...
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The actor will speak before the House Committee on Judiciary in his native Rhode Island on Wednesday (29Feb12) in favour of a law which would allow hospital executives to apologise for mistakes made by their staff without having to face the threat of legal action.
Woods decided to lend his backing to the so-called 'benevolent gestures' bill following his own experience with Rhode Island medics following the 2006 death of his younger brother Michael, who suffered a heart attack and died at Kent Hospital.
The actor filed suit against doctors, accusing them of failing to do enough to save his sibling, but he agreed to drop the medical negligence suit in 2009 after the hospital president issued a sincere apology.
Under the proposed bill, such an admission would not be admissible as evidence if the incident were to go to court in a civil suit.

In This Means War – a stylish action/rom-com hybrid from director McG – Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) and Chris Pine (Star Trek) star as CIA operatives whose close friendship is strained by the fires of romantic rivalry. Best pals FDR (Pine) and Tuck (Hardy) are equally accomplished at the spy game but their fortunes diverge dramatically in the dating realm: FDR (so nicknamed for his obvious resemblance to our 32nd president) is a smooth-talking player with an endless string of conquests while Tuck is a straight-laced introvert whose love life has stalled since his divorce. Enter Lauren (Reese Witherspoon) a pretty plucky consumer-products evaluator who piques both their interests in separate unrelated encounters. Tuck meets her via an online-dating site FDR at a video-rental store. (That Lauren is tech-savvy enough to date online but still rents movies in video stores is either a testament to her fascinating mix of contradictions or more likely an example of lazy screenwriting.)
When Tuck and FDR realize they’re pursuing the same girl it sparks their respective competitive natures and they decide to make a friendly game of it. But what begins as a good-natured rivalry swiftly devolves into romantic bloodsport with both men using the vast array of espionage tools at their disposal – from digital surveillance to poison darts – to gain an edge in the battle for Lauren’s affections. If her constitutional rights happen to be violated repeatedly in the process then so be it.
Lauren for her part remains oblivious to the clandestine machinations of her dueling suitors and happily basks in the sudden attention from two gorgeous men. Herein we find the Reese Witherspoon Dilemma: While certainly desirable Lauren is far from the irresistible Helen of Troy type that would inspire the likes of Tuck and FDR to risk their friendship their careers and potential incarceration for. At several points in This Means War I found myself wondering if there were no other peppy blondes in Los Angeles (where the film is primarily set) for these men to pursue. Then again this is a film that wishes us to believe that Tom Hardy would have trouble finding a date so perhaps plausibility is not its strong point.
When Lauren needs advice she looks to her boozy foul-mouthed best friend Trish (Chelsea Handler). Essentially an extension of Handler’s talk-show persona – an acquired taste if there ever was one – Trish’s dialogue consists almost exclusively of filthy one-liners delivered in rapid-fire succession. Handler does have some choice lines – indeed they’re practically the centerpiece of This Means War’s ad campaign – but the film derives the bulk of its humor from the outrageous lengths Tuck and FDR go to sabotage each others’ efforts a raucous game of spy-versus-spy that carries the film long after Handler’s shtick has grown stale.
Business occasionally intrudes upon matters in the guise of Heinrich (Til Schweiger) a Teutonic arms dealer bent on revenge for the death of his brother. The subplot is largely an afterthought existing primarily as a means to provide third-act fireworks – and to allow McGenius an outlet for his ADD-inspired aesthetic proclivities. The film’s action scenes are edited in such a manic quick-cut fashion that they become almost laughably incoherent. In fairness to McG he does stage a rather marvelous sequence in the middle of the film in which Tuck and FDR surreptitiously skulk about Lauren's apartment unaware of each other's presence carefully avoiding detection by Lauren who grooves absentmindedly to Montel Jordan's "This Is How We Do It." The whole scene unfolds in one continuous take – or is at least craftily constructed to appear as such – captured by one very agile steadicam operator.
Whatever his flaws as a director McG is at least smart enough to know how much a witty script and appealing leads can compensate for a film’s structural and logical deficiencies. He proved as much with Charlie’s Angels a film that enjoys a permanent spot on many a critic’s Guilty Pleasures list and does so again with This Means War. The film coasts on the chemistry of its three co-stars and only runs into trouble when the time comes to resolve its romantic competition which by the end has driven its male protagonists to engage in all manner of underhanded and duplicitous activities. This Means War being a commercial film – and likely an expensive one at that – Witherspoon's heroine is mandated to make a choice and McG all but sidesteps the whole thorny matter of Tuck and FDR’s unwavering dishonesty not to mention their craven disregard for her privacy. (They regularly eavesdrop on her activities.) For all their obvious charms the truth is that neither deserves Lauren – or anything other than a lengthy jail sentence for that matter.
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If Sundance is the studious valedictorian of film festivals, than South by Southwest is the party animal younger broth—who's just as smart (if not more) as his stuffy sibling. Held in Austin, Texas every March, SXSW is a rootin' tootin' celebration of cinema, hosting big Hollywood premieres, the best of the best from Sundance and plenty of off-beat indies primed and ready for discovery. Some of the year's best films premiere at the festival—need I remind you of Kill List—and most make their way to release, making SXSW a festival to keep your eye on.
The line-up for this year's fest has been officially release, and sports highly anticipated movies like Jonah Hill's 21 Jump Street and Cabin in the Woods, the long-awaited meta-horror from Lost/Cloverfield writer Drew Goddard and producer Joss Whedon, the premiere of Judd Apatow's new TV show Girls (written and starring Lena Dunham) and new projects from acclaimed directors like William Friedkin (The Exorcist), Kevin McDonald (Last King of Scotland), Will Ferrell, Jay Chandrasekhar of Broken Lizard and the Duplass Brothers (Cyrus).
Check out the films below and let us know which ones you want to hear more about!
HEADLINERS
Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film events with some major and rising names in cinema.
Films screening in Headliners are:
21 Jump Street
Directed by: Phil Lord &amp; Christopher Miller, Screenplay by: Michael Bacall, Story by: Michael Bacall &amp; Jonah Hill
Police officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) get sent back to high school as undercover cops in the action-comedy 21 Jump Street. Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Rob Riggle, with Ice Cube (World Premiere)
BIG EASY EXPRESS
Director: Emmett Malloy
Emmett Malloy’s latest film invites us aboard a train ride unlike any other with Mumford &amp; Sons, Edward Sharpe &amp; the Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show.
(World Premiere)
The Cabin in the Woods
Director: Drew Goddard, Screenwriters: Joss Whedon &amp; Drew Goddard
Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen. If you think you know this story, think again. From fan favorites Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard comes The Cabin in the Woods, a mind-blowing horror film that turns the genre inside out. Cast: Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz, Anna Hutchison, Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, and Bradley Whitford (World Premiere)
Decoding Deepak
Director: Gotham Chopra
Filmmaker Gotham Chopra spends a year on the road decoding his father and spiritual icon Deepak Chopra. (World Premiere)
Girls
Director/Screenwriter: Lena Dunham
Created by and starring Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture), the HBO show is a comic look at the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of a group of girls in their early 20s.
Cast: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver (World Premiere)
The Hunter (Australia)
Director: Daniel Nettheim, Screenplay by: Alice Addison, Novel by: Julia Leigh, Original Adaptation by: Wain Fimeri
A mercenary is dispatched from Europe to the Tasmanian wilderness by a mysterious biotech company to search for the last surviving Tasmanian tiger.
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Frances O'Connor, Sam Neill (U.S. Premiere)
Killer Joe
Director: William Friedkin, Screenwriter: Tracy Letts
A garish, Southwestern tale - a violent black comedy about a desperate Texas debtor (Hirsch) who plots to kill his mother with help of his family (Haden Church, Gershon). They hire a crazy Dallas cop who moonlights as a contract killer (McConaughey) to do the job, but Killer Joe asks for their teenage daughter (Temple) as a retainer. The film is based on Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts' (August: Osage County) award winning play. Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Gina Gershon, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church (U.S. Premiere)
MARLEY (UK / USA)
Director: Kevin Macdonald
The definitive life story of Bob Marley - musician, revolutionary, legend - from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best. Directed by Academy-Award-Winner Kevin Macdonald. (North American Premiere)
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere.
Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips &amp; Chong Kim
A young Korean-American girl, abducted and forced into prostitution by domestic human traffickers, joins forces with her captors in a desperate plea to survive. Cast: Jamie Chung, Matt O'Leary, Beau Bridges, Jeanine Monterroza, Scott Mechlowicz (World Premiere)
Gayby
Director/Screenwriter: Jonathan Lisecki
Jenn and Matt, best friends since college who are now in their thirties, decide to have a child together, the old-fashioned way - even though Matt is gay and Jenn is straight. Cast: Jenn Harris, Matthew Wilkas, Mike Doyle, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Jack Ferver (World Premiere)
Gimme the Loot
Director/Screenwriter: Adam Leon
When Malcolm and Sofia’s latest graffiti masterpiece is buffed by a rival gang, these two determined Bronx teens must hustle, steal, and scheme to get spectacular revenge and become the biggest writers in the City. Cast: Tashiana Washington, Ty Hickson, Meeko, Zoe Lescaze, Sam Soghor
(World Premiere)
Los Chidos (Germany / Mexico / USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Omar Rodriguez Lopez
The Gonzales family tries hard to hold on to their beautiful Latino traditions of misogyny and homophobia when a tall, white, industrialist stranger appears, challenging their place in the exploitative food chain. Cast: Kim Stodel, María De Jesús Canales Ramírez, Manuel Ramos, Cecillia Gutiérrez, (World Premiere)
Pilgrim Song
Director: Martha Stephens, Screenwriters: Martha Stephens, Karrie Crouse
A pink-slipped music teacher ponders his stalled relationship and place in the world during an arduous trek across Kentucky’s Sheltowee Trace Trail. Cast: Timothy Morton, Bryan Marshall, Karrie Crouse, Harrison Cole, Michael Abbott Jr. (World Premiere)
Starlet
Director: Sean Baker, Screenwriters: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch
The film explores the unlikely friendship between 21-year-old Jane (Dree Hemingway), and 85 year-old Sadie (Besedka Johnson), two women whose worlds collide in California's San Fernando Valley.
Cast: Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Stella Maeve, James Ransone, Karren Karagulian
(World Premiere)
The Taiwan Oyster
Director: Mark Jarrett, Screenwriters: Mark Jarrett, Jordan Heimer, Mitchell Jarrett
Two Ex-Pat Kindergarten teachers in Taiwan embark on a quixotic odyssey to bury a fellow countryman. Cast: Billy Harvey, Jeff Palmiotti, Leonora Lim (World Premiere)NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
High profile narrative features receiving their World, North American or U.S. Premieres at SXSW.
Films screening in Narrative Spotlight are:
The Babymakers
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar, Screenwriters: Peter Gaulke, Gerry Swallow
Unable to impregnate his wife, Tommy and friends rob a sperm bank - to get Tommy's long-ago donated sperm back. The crazy plan goes hilariously awry and shows how far a couple will go to create a new life.
Cast: Paul Schneider, Olivia Munn, Kevin Heffernan, Wood Harris, Nat Faxon (World Premiere)
Crazy Eyes
Director: Adam Sherman, Screenwriters: Adam Sherman, Dave Reeves &amp; Rachel Hardisty
Just another story about love.
Cast: Lukas Haas, Madeline Zima, Jake Busey, Tania Raymonde, Regine Nehy (World Premiere)
Do-Deca-Pentathalon
Director/Screenwriter: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
Two brothers compete in their own private 25-event Olympics.
Cast: Mark Kelly, Steve Zissis, Elton LeBlanc (World Premiere)
Fat Kid Rules The World
Director: Matthew Lillard, Screenwriters: Michael M.B. Galvin, Peter Speakman
Troy, a depressed overweight teenager, gets sucked into the punk rock world by Marcus, a charming street musician. But when Troy discovers Marcus’ drug addiction, he suddenly must figure out the true boundaries of friendship.
Cast: Jacob Wysocki, Matt O'Leary, Billy Campbell, Lilli Simmons, Dylan Arnold (World Premiere)
frankie go boom
Director/Screenwriter: Jordan Roberts
a flick by bruce about his little brother frank who's a crybaby fuck who shouldn't do lame-ass embarrassing shit if he dozn't want people 2 see it
Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Chris O'Dowd, Lizzy Caplan, Ron Perlman, Chris Noth (World Premiere)
Hunky Dory (UK)
Director: Marc Evans, Screenwriter: Laurence Coriat
From the producer of Billy Elliot comes this funny, coming of age film featuring songs from artists such as David Bowie, Lou Reed, The Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, Dusty Springfield and Electric Light Orchestra. Cast: Minnie Driver, Aneurin Barnard, Danielle Branch, Robert Pugh, Haydn Gwynne
(North American Premiere)
In Our Nature
Director/Screenwriter: Brian Savelson
Taking place over a single weekend, an estranged father and son accidentally end up in the same country house with their two girlfriends.
Cast: Zach Gilford, Jena Malone, John Slattery, Gabrielle Union (World Premiere)
Keyhole (Canada)
Director: Guy Maddin, Screenwriters: Guy Maddin, George Toles
I'm only a ghost... but a ghost isn't nothing.
Cast: Isabella Rossellini, Jason Patric, Udo Kier, Kevin McDonald, Tattiawna Jones (U.S. Premiere)
See Girl Run
Director/Screenwriter: Nate Meyer
What happens when a 30-something woman allows life's "what ifs" to overwhelm her appreciation for what life actually is. Disregarding her current obligations, she digs into her romantic past in hopes of invigorating her present.
Cast: Robin Tunney, Adam Scott, Jeremy Strong, William Sadler, Josh Hamilton (World Premiere)
Small Apartments
Director: Jonas Åkerlund, Screenwriter: Chris Millis
When Franklin Franklin accidentally kills his landlord, he must hide the body; but, the wisdom of his beloved brother and the quirks of his neighbors, force him on a journey where a fortune awaits him. Cast: Matt Lucas, Billy Crystal, James Caan, Johnny Knoxville, Juno Temple (World Premiere)
Somebody Up There Likes Me
Director/Screenwriter: Bob Byington
Time flies for everyone: Thirty-five years in the life of Max, his best friend Sal, and a woman they both adore. A deadpan fable about time sneaking up on and swerving right around us.
Cast: Keith Poulson, Nick Offerman, Jess Weixler, Stephanie Hunt, Kevin Corrigan (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
This year’s 8 films were selected from 845 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere.
Films screening in Documentary Feature Competition are:
Bay of All Saints
Director: Annie Eastman
As the last of the notorious water slums is demolished in Bahia, Brazil, will three single mothers face homelessness or rally for a better life? (World Premiere)
Beware of Mr. Baker
Director: Jay Bulger
Ginger Baker is the original rock ‘n roll madman junkie drummer superstar who everyone thought was dead but somehow survived 50+ years of heroin abuse, disastrous experiments and 5 marriages on 4 continents. (World Premiere)
The Central Park Effect
Director: Jeffrey Kimball
The film reveals the extraordinary array of wild birds who grace Manhattan’s celebrated patch of green, and the equally colorful, full-of-attitude New Yorkers who schedule their lives around the rhythms of migration. (World Premiere)
Jeff
Director: Chris James Thompson
A documentary about the people around Jeffrey Dahmer during the 1991 summer of his arrest for the murder of 17 people in Milwaukee. (World Premiere)
Seeking Asian Female
Director: Debbie Lum
When an American man with "yellow fever" meets a Chinese woman half his age online, documenting their attempt to build a marriage from scratch reveals hilarious and troubling complications for the couple and the filmmaker. (World Premiere)
The Sheik and I
Director: Caveh Zahedi
Commissioned by a Middle Eastern Biennial to make a film on the theme of "art as a subversive act," independent filmmaker Caveh Zahedi (I am a Sex Addict) is threatened with a fatwa. (World Premiere)
The Source
Directors: Jodi Wille, Maria Demopoulos
The Source Family was a radical experiment in '70s utopian living. Their popular restaurant, rock band, and beautiful women made them the darlings of Hollywood; but their outsider ideals led to their dramatic undoing. (World Premiere)
Welcome To The Machine
Director: Avi Zev Weider
Upon fathering triplets, filmmaker Avi Zev Weider explores the nature of technology, seeking answers about what it means to be human. (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT
Shining a light on new documentary features receiving their World, North American or U.S. Premieres at SXSW.
Films screening in Documentary Spotlight are:
$ELLEBRITY
Director: Kevin Mazur
Renowned celebrity photographer, Kevin Mazur, gives us an all access pass to the life behind the velvet rope and in front of the camera. Candid, revealing and bold interviews with Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez, Elton John and more, take us inside the blurred lines of privacy, pliable journalism, celebrity, fame and what it feels like to be consumed. (World Premiere)
America's Parking Lot
Director: Jonny Mars
Pull up a front row seat as two die-hard fans of 'America's Team' spend their last season with the Dallas Cowboys at historic Texas Stadium, and scramble to preserve their place in America’s Parking Lot. (World Premiere)
The Announcement
Director: Nelson George
On Thursday, November 7, 1991, Earvin “Magic” Johnson made the stunning announcement that he was HIV-positive and would be retiring from basketball immediately. The Announcement gets to the core of Magic’s incredible personal journey. (World Premiere)
Beauty Is Embarrassing
Director: Neil Berkeley
A funny, irreverent and inspirational look into the life and times of one of America's most important artists, Wayne White. (World Premiere)
Brooklyn Castle
Director: Katie Dellamaggiore
Amidst financial crises and unprecedented public school budget cuts, Brooklyn Castle takes an intimate look at the challenges and triumphs facing members of a junior high school’s champion chess team. (World Premiere)
Code of the West
Director: Rebecca Richman Cohen
Frames a high stakes showdown in the halls of the Montana State Legislature. The future of medical marijuana is at stake. (World Premiere)
Degenerate Art: The Art and Culture of Glass Pipes
Director: M. Slinger
A true document of the art and culture of glass pipe-making. It is the first film to ever bring to light this invisible sub-culture in a comprehensive and well-informed format. (World Premiere)
Girl Model
Directors: A. Sabin, David Redmon
Young Russian girls join a modeling agency to seek work in Japan, but get caught up in an unregulated system that reveals an unseemly side of the fashion industry. (U.S. Premiere)
Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters
Director: Ben Shapiro
Acclaimed photographer Gregory Crewdson’s 10-year quest to create a series of haunting, surreal, and stunningly elaborate portraits of small-town American life — filmed with unprecedented access as he makes perfect renderings of a disturbing, imperfect world. (World Premiere)
Just Like Being There
Director: Scout Shannon
Through the eyes of Daniel Danger, Jay Ryan, and the gig poster community, Just Like Being There focuses on poster artists, the music they commemorate, MONDO film posters, fans, bloggers, galleries, collectors and everything in between. (World Premiere)
Scarlet Road (Australia)
Director: Catherine Scott
The film follows the extraordinary work of Australian sex worker, Rachel Wotton. Impassioned about freedom of sexual expression and the rights of sex workers, she specializes in a long over-looked clientele - people with disability. (North American Premiere)
Trash Dance
Director: Andrew Garrison
A choreographer finds beauty and grace in garbage trucks, and against the odds, rallies reluctant city trash collectors to perform an extraordinary dance spectacle. On an abandoned airport runway, two dozen sanitation workers -- and their trucks -- inspire an audience of thousands. (World Premiere)
Waiting For Lightning
Director: Jacob Rosenberg
From the producers of Step into Liquid, comes the story of visionary skateboarder Danny Way, who jumped China’s Great Wall and created a new movement in sport. (World Premiere)
Wikileaks: Secrets &amp; Lies (UK)
Director: Patrick Forbes
The in-depth story of Wikileaks told by all the key players. Sulphurous, personal and moving, it documents history in the making at the lawless frontier of new technology and mainstream media. (North American Premiere)
WONDER WOMEN! The Untold Story of American Superheroines
Director: Kristy Guevara-Flanagan
This documentary examines the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman and introduces audiences to a dynamic group of real life superheroes who continue to fight the good fight both on and off the screen. (World Premiere)
EMERGING VISIONS
Audacious, risk-taking artists in the new cinema landscape that demonstrate raw innovation and creativity in documentary and narrative filmmaking.
Films screening in Emerging Visions are:
Black Pond (UK)
Directors: Tom Kingsley, Will Sharpe, Screenwriter: Will Sharpe
An ordinary family is accused of murder when a stranger dies at their dinner table. Stars BAFTA-winner Chris Langham and British Comedy Award Winner Simon Amstell. Cast: Chris Langham, Simon Amstell, Amanda Hadingue, Colin Hurley, Will Sharpe (North American Premiere)
Dollhouse (Ireland)
Director/Screenwriter: Kirsten Sheridan
Five street teens break into a house in a rich Dublin suburb for a night of partying. But games are twisted into something more emotional and ultimately out of control through a series of surprising revelations. Cast: Seana Kerslake, Johnny Ward, Kate Stanley Brennan, Shane Curry, Ciaran McCabe (North American Premiere)
Eating Alabama
Director: Andrew Beck Grace
A quest to eat locally becomes a meditation on community, the South and sustainability. Eating Alabama is a story about why food matters. (World Premiere)
Electrick Children
Director/Screenwriter: Rebecca Thomas
Rachel, a 15-year-old fundamentalist Mormon, believes she's had an immaculate conception by listening to rock and roll. She flees to Las Vegas to escape an arranged marriage, seeking answers to her mysterious pregnancy.
Cast: Julia Garner, Rory Culkin, Liam Aiken, Billy Zane (North American Premiere)
Extracted
Director/Screenwriter: Nir Paniry
A scientist is trapped in the memories of a criminal and must solve a crime in order to get back home to his family.
Cast: Sasha Roiz, Dominic Bogart, Jenny Mollen, Nick Jameson, Brad Culver (World Premiere)
Francine (Canada / USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Brian M. Cassidy, Melanie Shatzky
Academy-Award-winner, Melissa Leo, plays Francine, a woman struggling to find her place in a downtrodden lakeside town after leaving behind a life in prison.
Cast: Melissa Leo, Keith Leonard, Victoria Charkut (North American Premiere)
Funeral Kings
Director/Screenwriter: Kevin Mcmanus, Matthew Mcmanus
For three 14-year-old boys at St. Mark's Middle School, it's always a good day for a funeral.
Cast: Dylan Hartigan, Alex Maizus, Jordan Puzzo, Charles Odei, Kevin Corrigan (World Premiere)
Hard Labor (Brazil)
Director/Screenwriter: Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra
Helena prepares to open her own business: a neighborhood grocery store. She hires a maid. But when her husband Octavio is suddenly fired from his job, Helena is left to support the family alone.
Cast: Helena Albergaria, Marat Descartes, Naloana Lima, Marina Flores (U.S. Premiere)
La Camioneta - The Journey of One American School Bus
Director: Mark Kendall
On a 3,000-mile adventure across the borders between the Americas, La Camioneta follows the journey of one out-of-service American school bus as it is repaired, repainted and resurrected into a Guatemalan camioneta. (World Premiere)
The Last Fall
Director/Screenwriter: Matthew A. Cherry
An NFL journeyman struggles to deal with life's complexities after his professional career is over at age 25.
Cast: Lance Gross, Nicole Beharie, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Harry Lennix, Keith David
(World Premiere)
Leave Me Like You Found Me
Director/Screenwriter: Adele Romanski
Big trees, broken hearts. The story of a lovesick couple’s breakup &amp; makeup while camping in the wilds of California. Cast: Megan Boone, David Nordstrom (World Premiere)
PAVILION
Director/Screenwriter: Tim Sutton
Max, a quietly troubled 15-year-old, leaves his lakeside town to live with his father on the sun-blasted fringe of suburban Arizona. What begins in a calm and lush environment ends in a drastic, frayed confusion. Cast: Max Schaffner, Zach Cali, Cody Hamric, Addie Barlett, Aaron Buyea (World Premiere)
Sun Don't Shine
Director/Screenwriter: Amy Seimetz
Two lovers, on the back roads of Florida, do very bad things.
Cast: Kate Lyn Sheil, Kentucker Audley, AJ Bowen, Kit Gwinn, Mark Reeb (World Premiere)
Sunset Stories
Directors: Silas Howard, Ernesto Foronda, Screenwriter: Valerie Stadler
When May returns to LA and runs smack into JP, the man she left behind, past and present collide sending them on a twenty-four hour journey in search of what they lost.
Cast: Monique Curnen, Sung Kang, Joshua Leonard, Mousa Kraish, Michelle Krusiec (World Premiere)
Tchoupitoulas
Director: Bill Ross, Turner Ross
Three young brothers' immersive journey into the sensory wonders of the New Orleans night.
(World Premiere)
Thale (Norway)
Director/Screenwriter: Aleksander L. Nordaas
The film revolves around huldra, a mythical, tailed creature, found by two crime scene cleaners in a concealed cellar. Someone’s been keeping her down here for decades, for reasons soon to surface. Cast: Silje Reinåmo, Jon Sigve Skard, Erlend Nervold, Morten Andresen (North American Premiere)
Wildness
Director/Screenwriter: Wu Tsang
A magical-realist portrait of the Silver Platter, a historic bar in Los Angeles that provides a safe space for Latin/LGBT immigrant and queer art communities to come together in love and conflict.
WOLF
Director/Screenwriter: Ya'ke Smith
A family is shaken to the core when they discover their son has been molested. As they struggle to deal with the betrayal, their son heads towards a total mental collapse.
Cast: Irma P. Hall, Mikala Gibson, Jordan Cooper, Shelton Jolivette, Eugene Lee (World Premiere)
24 BEATS PER SECOND
Showcasing the sounds, culture and influence of music and musicians, with an emphasis on documentary.
Films screening in 24 Beats Per Second are:
Amor Cronico (Cuba / USA)
Director: Jorge Perugorria
Weaving footage of singer Cucu Diamantes’ Cuban tour into a fictional love story. The result is an energetic display of her glamorous and infectious performance style and a fascinating portrait of Cuba today.
Cast: Cucu Diamantes, Adela Legra, Liosky Clavero, Andres Levin, Jorge Perugorria (World Premiere)
Bad Brains: Band in DC
Directors: Mandy Stein, Benjamen Logan
How four young men from DC changed music forever. (World Premiere)
Charles Bradley: Soul of America
Director: Poull Brien
The incredible late-in-life rise of 62-year-old aspiring soul singer Charles Bradley, whose debut album rocketed him from a hard life in the projects to Rolling Stone magazine’s top 50 albums of 2011.
(World Premiere)
Daylight Savings
Director: Dave Boyle, Screenwriters: Dave Boyle, Michael Lerman, Joel Clark, Goh Nakamura
After a devastating breakup, musician Goh Nakamura hits the road with his irresponsible cousin to pursue a promising rebound with fellow musician Yea-Ming Chen.
Cast: Goh Nakamura, Michael Aki, Yea-Ming Chen, Lynn Chen, Ayako Fujitani (World Premiere)
Grandma Lo-fi: The Basement Tapes of Sigrídur Níelsdóttir (Iceland / Denmark)
Director: Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir
At the tender age of 70 she started making music - and then she couldn't stop! A tribute to the Danish/Icelandic artist and late bloomer Sigrídur Níelsdóttir.
Paul Williams Still Alive
Director: Stephen Kessler
A documentary filmmaker tracks down actor/singer/songwriter Paul Williams in an attempt to find out what happened to his idol. (U.S. Premiere)
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen (UK)
Director: Don Letts
Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry, Yoko Ono, Alice Cooper, Billie Joe Armstrong and others discuss the incredible life and work of the world's foremost rock 'n' roll photographer, Bob Gruen.
(North American Premiere)
Sunset Strip
Director/Screenwriter: Hans Fjellestad
The 100-year history of the loudest street on the planet, The Sunset Strip. (World Premiere)
Under African Skies
Director: Joe Berlinger
Paul Simon returns to South Africa to explore the incredible journey of his historic Graceland album, including the political backlash he received for allegedly breaking the UN cultural boycott of South Africa designed to end the Apartheid regime.
Uprising: Hip Hop &amp; The LA Riots
Director: Mark Ford
20 years after riots ripped through Los Angeles, Uprising documents how hip hop forecasted – and some say ignited – the worst civil unrest of the 20th century. (World Premiere)
SX GLOBAL
A diverse panorama of international filmmaking talent, including premieres, interactive documentaries and shorts.
Films screening in SX Global are:
BIJUKA (India)
Director: Ashtar Sayed, Screenwriter: Dr. Mahendra Purohit
Inspired by a true event. Scarecrow tells the true story of a young woman who is attempting to escape from an abusive arranged marriage. Cast: Arti Rautela, Amit Purohit (North American Premiere)
Crulic - The Path to Beyond (Romania / Poland)
Director: Anca Damian
The animated documentary feature-length “Crulic – The Path to Beyond” tells the story of the life of Crulic, the 33-year-old Romanian who died in a Polish prison while on hunger strike.
Cubaton - El Medico Story (Estonia / Sweden)
Director: Daniel Fridell
El Medico - a Cuban house doctor who wants to become a cubaton star - is facing a serious choice between serving the state and becoming a popstar. (North American Premiere)
Her Master's Voice (UK)
Director: Nina Conti
Watching someone talk to themselves has never been so interesting. (World Premiere)
ITALY LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT (Italy / Germany)
Directors: Gustav Hofer, Luca Ragazzi
Gustav and Luca, two Italians, have to decide: Should they stay in Italy, or leave it? (North American Premiere)
Mustafa's Sweet Dreams (Greece / UK)
Director: Angelos Abazoglou
Mustafa, a 16-year-old pastry shop apprentice dreams of becoming a famous baklava chef in Istanbul. (North American Premiere)
Pompeya (Argentina)
Director: Tamae Garateguy, Screenwriters: Tamae Garateguy, Diego A. Fleischer
When a film director hires two screenwriters to make a gangster movie, a fiction feast starts: femmes fatales, mobs fighting for the same neighborhood and a limitless hero who defies every movie concept. Cast: José Luciano González, Joel Drut, Chang Sung Kim, Vladimir Yuravel, Miguel Forza de Paul
(U.S. Premiere)
¡Vivan las Antipodas! (Germany / The Netherlands / Argentina / Chile)
Director: Victor Kossakovsky
Haven’t we all wondered at some point what was happening just at this moment beneath our very feet at the other side of the planet?
FESTIVAL FAVORITES
Acclaimed standouts and selected previous premieres from festivals around the world.
Films screening in Festival Favorites are:
Beast (Denmark)
Director/Screenwriter: Christoffer Boe
How long will you go, to hold on to the person you love?
Cast: Nicolas Bro, Marijana Jankovic, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
The Comedy
Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Robert Donne, Colm O'Leary
Indifferent even to the prospects of inheriting his father's estate, Swanson (Tim Heidecker), a desensitized, aging Brooklyn hipster, strays into a series of reckless situations that may offer the promise of redemption or the threat of retribution.
Cast: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, James Murphy, Kate Lyn-Sheil, Alexia Rassmusen
Dreams of a Life (UK / Ireland)
Director: Carol Morley
An imaginative quest to go beyond the newspaper reports and solve the mystery of who thirty-eight year old Joyce Vincent was and why she lay undiscovered for three years after her death in one of the busiest parts of London. (North American Premiere)
God Bless America
Director/Screenwriter: Bobcat Goldthwait
Loveless, jobless, possibly terminally ill, Frank has had enough of the downward spiral of America. With nothing left to lose, Frank takes his gun and offs the stupidest, cruelest, and most repellent members of society. Cast: Joel Murray, Tara Lynne Barr (U.S. Premiere)
The Imposter (UK)
Director: Bart Layton
In 1994 a 13-year-old disappears without trace in Texas. Three years later he resurfaces in Spain with accounts of a horrifying kidnap. His family is overjoyed – but all is not as it seems.
Indie Game: The Movie (Canada)
Directors: Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky
With the twenty-first century comes a new breed of artist: the indie game designer. These innovators design and program their distinctly personal games in the hope that they may find connection and success.
KID-THING
Director/Screenwriter: David Zellner
A fever-dream fable about Annie, a rebellious girl devoid of parental guidance or a moral compass. She roams the countryside looking for adventure, and finds it one day in the form of an abandoned well. Cast: Sydney Aguirre, Susan Tyrrell, Nathan Zellner, David Zellner, David Wingo
Last Call at the Oasis
Director: Jessica Yu
A powerful argument for why the global water crisis will be the central issue facing our world this century.
Lovely Molly
Director: Eduardo Sanchez, Screenwriters: Eduardo Sanchez, Jamie Nash
Exploring the parallels between psychosis, addiction and demonic possession, Lovely Molly tells the story of what really happens before the exorcist arrives.
Cast: Gretchen Lodge, Johnny Lewis, Alexandra Holden (U.S. Premiere)
The Raid (Indonesia)
Director/Screenwriter: Gareth Huw Evans
Rama and his special forces team fight their way through a rundown apartment block with a mission to remove its owner, a notorious drug lord.
Cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Doni Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian, Pierre Gruno
WE ARE LEGION: The Story of the Hacktivists
Director: Brian Knappenberger
We Are Legion takes us inside the world of Anonymous, the radical "hacktivist" collective that has redefined civil disobedience for the digital age.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Live Soundtracks, cult re-issues and much more. Our Special Events section offers unusual, unexpected and unique film event one-offs.
Films screening in Special Events are:
An Evening With Sacred Bones Records
Director: Jacqueline Castel
Brooklyn-based record label Sacred Bones presents an evening of original and curated programming of music videos, short films, works in progress, and a rare screening of their first film production, Twelve Dark Noons. (World Premiere)
Bernie
Director: Richard Linklater, Screenwriters: Richard Linklater, Skip Hollandsworth
Based on real-life events, this dark comedy follows Bernie Tiede, his recently deceased friend Marjorie Nugent and District Attorney Danny Buck Davidson who is determined to get to the bottom of the crime. Cast: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey, Brady Coleman, Richard Robichaux
Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me
Director: Drew Denicola
A feature-length documentary about the massive critical acclaim, dismal commercial failure, and enduring legacy of pop music’s greatest cult phenomenon, Big Star. (Work in Progress)
Casa de mi Padre
Director: Matt Piedmont, Screenwriter: Andrew Steele
Will Ferrell plays a Mexican rancher who must defend his father's home against the country's most infamous drug lord. Cast: Will Ferrell, Gael García Vernal, Diego Luna, Genesis Rodriguez, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Nick Offerman
Girl Walk // All Day
Director/Screenwriter: Jacob Krupnick
A feature-length dance music film that combines freestyle dance with the daily chaos of New York City, set to Girl Talk's recent mashup album, All Day. Cast: Anne Marsen, John Doyle, Daisuke Omiya
Re:Generation
Director: Amir Bar Lev
5 DJ's Turn the Table on The History of Music.
Renga (UK)
Directors: Adam Russell, John Sear
A ground breaking feature-length show controlled entirely by the audience using laser pointers. It is the first viable example of a standalone interactive experience capable of running in commercial movie theatres. (North American Premiere)
The Oyster Princess (1919) with original live score by Bee vs. Moth (Germany)
Director: Ernst Lubitsch, Screenriters: Hanns Kraly &amp; Ernst Lubitsch
The Oyster Princess is Ernst Lubitsch’s tart 1919 silent comedy that parodies the rich and the spoiled. Austin jazz/rock band Bee vs. Moth performs their original score live with the film for the first time. (World Premiere)

Last night, the 18th Annual Screen Actor's Guild Awards broadcast, celebrating excellence in the performance of those harshly unappreciated figures of the film and television industry: actors. Following the pattern of award shows so far this year, SAG recognized The Help cast members, specifically Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, as outstanding performances among those of 2011. In terms of television, a couple of big wins came in for Boardwalk Empire, while actors from Modern Family, 30 Rock and Mildred Pierce were also recognized.
Movies
Outstanding Performance By A Cast In A Motion Picture
The Help [Nominees: Bridesmaids, The Artist, The Descendants, Midnight in Paris]
Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Leading Role
Jean Dujardin—The Artist [Nominees: George Clooney—The Descendants, Demian Bichir—A Better Life, Leonardo DiCaprio—J. Edgar, Brad Pitt—Moneyball]
Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Leading Role Viola Davis—The Help [Nominees: Michelle Williams—My Week With Marilyn, Glenn Close—Albert Nobbs, Meryl Streep—The Iron Lady, Tilda Swinton—We Need to Talk About Kevin]
Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Supporting Role Christopher Plummer—Beginners, [Nominees: Nick Nolte—Warrior, Kenneth Branagh—My Week With Marilyn, Armie Hammer—J. Edgar, Jonah Hill—Moneyball]
Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Supporting Role
Octavia Spencer—The Help [Nominees: Berenice Bejo—The Artist, Jessica Chastain—The Help, Melissa McCarthy—Bridesmaids, Janet McTeer—Albert Nobbs]
Outstanding Performance By A Stunt Ensemble In A Motion Picture
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 [Nominees: The Adjustment Bureau, Cowboys &amp; Aliens, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, X-Men: First Class]
Television
Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Television Movie Or Miniseries Paul Giamatti—Too Big to Fail [Nominees: Laurence Fishburne—Thurgood, Greg Kinnear—The Kennedys, Guy Pearce—Mildred Pierce, James Woods—Too Big to Fail]
Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Television Movie Or Miniseries Kate Winslet—Mildred Pierce [Nominees: Diane Lane—Cinema Verite, Maggie Smith—Downton Abbey, Emily Watson—Appropriate Adult, Betty White—The Lost Valentine]
Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Drama Series
Steve Buscemi—Boardwalk Empire [Nominees: Patrick J. Adams—Suits, Kyle Chandler—Friday Night Lights, Bryan Cranston—Breaking Bad, Michael C. Hall—Dexter]
Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Drama Series Jessica Lange—American Horror Story [Nominees: Kathy Bates—Harry’s Law, Glenn Close—Damages, Julianna Margules—The Good Wife, Kyra Sedgwick—The Closer]
Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Comedy Series Alec Baldwin—30 Rock [Nominees: Ty Burrell—Modern Family, Steve Carell—The Office, Jon Cryer—Two and a Half Men, Eric Stonestreet—Modern Family]
Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Comedy Series Betty White—Hot In Cleveland [Nominees: Julie Bowen—Modern Family, Edie Falco—Nurse Jackie, Tina Fey—30 Rock, Sofia Vergara—Modern Family]
Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble In A Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire [Nominees: Breaking Bad, Dexter, Game of Thrones, The Good Wife]
Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble In A Comedy Series Modern Family [Nominees: 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, Glee, The Office]
Outstanding Performance By A Stunt Ensemble In A Television Series Game of Thrones [Nominees: Dexter, Southland, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, True Blood]

S11E1: American Idol fans are well-trained. We know we get these first three weeks to goof around and make fun of all these people who’ve made absolutely no impression on us. It’s a mindless, carefree time. That being said, the Idol producers still try their darndest to weave in some sort of narrative in a process that inherently has none. We just accept it and go along, letting the multitudes of faces we won’t start remembering until at least week five wash over us - except for one contestant I think could go all the way. In light of that, I’ll try my best to make sense of the contestants from Savannah, Georgia. There were 10,000 people waiting to audition, but we only witnessed a small fraction – which is probably for the best. Now, in traditional Idol fashion, let’s cut to the Florence and The Machine soundtrack and pump up the hope because it’s time to review the more memorable contestants.
First up, we find a slew of 15, 16 and 17 year olds with serious chops as the producers remind us that these young contestants were 5 and 6 when Idol first came on, making most of us feel about 100 years old. We get two shoe-ins followed by a montage of other successes who we have no hope of remembering. In that case, we’ll only regale with you details of the folks who merited their own segments.
“You like you’re 12.” –Jennifer Lopez
David Leathers, Jr.
17 years old
This little brat fancies himself a baller, saying his nickname at school is “Mr. Steal Your Girl.” However, it turns out he’s actually pretty fantastic. In fact, he was in a contest with Season 10 winner, Scotty McCreery, a few years back and they placed first and second. He sings “Remember the Rain” and he may act like a little douche, but he sings like an angel. JLo asks him to sing Michael Jackson and he sounds perfect. Clearly, all three judges send him to Hollywood.
”You nailed it; it was like ‘Thank You God.’” –Steven Tyler
Gabby Carubba
16 years old
Gabby is a dancer and she’s been an Idol fan since we was a little girl. Being that she’s a dancer, she pulls something rather unconventional and asks if she can hug Nigel Lithgoe, who’s always sitting off to the side. Her only other goal is for Steven to make his “love it” face. She sings “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5, and she gets her wish. She has a sweet, little jazzy voice, but she’ll need to stretch that voice should she get through to the finals. In the end, she gets a “yes.”
But we can’t spend the whole morning with perfect singer after perfect singer. The buck had to stop somewhere. And it came to a screeching (or should I say warbling) start with Jessica Whitely.
”Can I sing you another song?” –Jessica Whitely
“No.” –Steven Jessica Whitely
19 years old
This poor girl is the first to get her own video montage and background story without having the pipes to back it up. She claims to be the choice singer for her high school’s pep rallies and football games. And it would seem her classmates are cruel. She attempts to sing “Endless Song” but she sounds like an injured frog that can’t hold a note or keep its head from bobbing off of its shoulders. They even play the original version of the song against her terrible version and I would almost feel bad for how much fun the producers has at her expense, but then she goes and makes it all worth it. When Randy finally tells her it’s a big fat “no,” she tells him that she’ll be back for the Texas auditions. That won’t be unwelcome, ugly or unpleasant at all. Let’s hope they’ve invested in some serious security for that round.
“Will you work for half of Ryan’s pay?” –Randy
Sean Kraisman
26 years old
Apparently, there are plenty of people every year who think they are just like Ryan Seacrest, but this year one contestant managed to outdo them all. He claims to look just like Ryan, and while the physical resemblance is only slight (not to mention he should have bigger dreams than being a dead ringer for the Idol host) he manages to do a creepily accurate impression of Seacrest. It’s just too bad that when he starts singing, he sounds like a terrible, over-confident karaoke singer. Maybe he should try to get hired for company picnics and kids birthday parties and forget that whole singing thing. Besides, he probably only tried out for the contest to show off his Seacrest impression anyway.
“Nerves of steel this girl.” –Randy
Shannon Magrane
15 years old
This little lady wasn’t amazing – yet. The 6 ft tall volleyball player and daughter of the former Cardinals pitcher Joe Magrane (who pitched in the 1987 World Series, long before she was a glimmer in his eye), has got the raw materials, but she seriously needs to train them. Still, she belted Etta James’ “Something’s Got a Hold on Me,” which is admittedly a really tough song, as her mother, dad and sisters stood in a circle around her. It was a bit unconventional, but she seemed to be fine, even with the audience and the judges gave her a big ol’ yes.
“I live in a tent in the woods.” –Amy Brumfield
Amy Brumfield
24 years old
Thank God this girl can actually sing, because with the eccentric back story about her and her boyfriend living in a tent, for a minute I was worried that she was going to suck and that they were just cruel enough to use her story for its unique appeal. But her rendition of Alicia Key’s “Superwoman” was delightful and powerful. She got a yes, but not before asking if she could camp behind the Idol mansion.
“I always get worried when they say they sound like Brad Paisley or Chris Daughtry.” –JLo
“That’s when you know they don’t.” –Randy
Joshua Davis
23 years old
After declaring his surefire success, he crashes into everything on the way in and screams like he’s running from a band of hungry cannibals to “get out the stress.” When he finally starts singing “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz, it is confirmed: not only is he obnoxious, he’s awful. He sounds like a sugar high 6 year old rough-housing with two other kids his age while trying to also sing a song. Randy’s face says it all – he makes a clown face and jazz hands, bobbing back and forth like a demented Jack in the Box. JLo is so sweet – she calls him sweet and cute but tells him it’s not what they’re going for. He won’t take no for an answer, but they finally get rid of him. The really sad thing is that all of his friends were there, and not one of them saw fit to be honest with him instead of letting him make a fool of himself.
What’s your name, Sparkles?” –Steven
Stephanie Renee
15 years old
This next girl hopes to be a Carrie Underwood protégé. She’s so obsessed with winning American Idol she’s made homemade t-shirts – and we see proof in her handmade Idol scrapbook. She attempts “Inside Your Heaven” by Underwood, and she’s not the worst, but she needs voice lessons. She’s got an issue with singing through her nose, they try to teach her to open her mouth and sing fully. Randy rightly says “not yet,” but the other two are won over by how cute she is. Ultimately, she ends up with a “yes.”
As you can see, there is absolutely no discernable arc in this large, middle section, so we find Steven obsessed with his own hat. Then again, I would be playing with a hat that ridiculous too. And when Steven’s hat can’t entertain us, Idol is always willing to create drama where there is none. That’s where a brother and sister from last year come in.
“Come on Colton, make us feel stupid for last year.” –JLo
Schyler Dixon, 16 years old
Colton Dixon, 19 years old
Schyler and Colton auditioned last year, but didn’t make it past Hollywood week, though honestly, I don’t remember them. Schyler’s back for more, but they create nonexistent sibling tension by insisting she brings her brother in so he can audition too. Schyler sings “Falling to Pieces” in a pleasant, raspy and jazzy voice –she’s definitely an in. Colton ‘s performance of “Permanent” by David Cook is sharp in a few places, but they begged him to sing. They have to say “yes.” You can’t force someone to sing and then crush them. Both siblings go through, but they try everything to create a little rivalry – even having Steven only hug Colton and tell Schyler, “I’ll hug you when you win.”
”Goosies!” –JLo
Lauren Zinc
25 years old
Lauren is the first of the do-gooder contestants. She’s the director of a program for adults with disabilities. She teaches them how to sing and makes all of us tear up with her story of how beautiful it is. Damn you Idol; you’re such an emotional bully. Finally, she sings “Country Strong” and she’s off key at times, but she’s got such a strong voice with a little growl to it. Plus, she’s gorgeous. Obviously, she gets a “yes.”
Apparently the second day of auditions is really, really hot as evidenced by the montages of sweaty people pouring water on themselves. That awkwardness aside, the auditions are starting to get even more awkward.
“I’m from West Africa” –Mawena Kodjo
“Well that doesn’t seem convenient.” –Ryan Mawuena Kodjo
25 years old
We knew from the second they started playing “Rhinestone Cowboy” in the background that this guy was going to be a bad egg. The poor guy sings a Rascal Flatts song, but he practically slashes it to pieces. The judges tried to be nice and tell him at least he tried, even if he was terrible. But he won’t accept it, so Randy dares him to find people in the outside world who think he deserves a golden ticket. So he and Ryan really do it. Really. They find four little girls and their grandpa and they say like him, but it’s still not enough. Cut to a snapshot of a senile grandpa, his four granddaughters posing with a delusional Idol contestant.
“Gitchie Gitchie kumaya-ya.” –Steven Ashlee Altise
23 years old
This girl is a bit of a nut, but she can sing, even though she spend most of her intro time distracting us with her invention: the joy hop. She does a little dance on the stage before singing “Come Together” wonderfully. She’s a ham, and completely crazy, but she’s got a full voice, so I’m interesting in seeing what she’s like on real stage.
“It’s a dream. You either make it or you don’t” –Contestant’s wife
WT Thompson
25 years old from
This guy had a steady job at a Federal Prison and he quit his job to audition for Idol. The kicker? His wife is six months pregnant. They start by showing us him telling his family he didn’t get it, but we jump back in time and see Steven give him a no while Randy and JLo send him through. He probably shouldn’t have quit his job to be on this show, but maybe they can polish him up enough to get him through at least a few rounds.
Then, we find an overwhelming trend at the auditions. There are dozens of women who are in love with Steven. He’s giving kisses left and right, even to one girl’s grandma. It’s all fun and games – nothing that would upset his new fiancé – until one person kicks up the crazy.
“Best note you hit was when you grabbed my ass.” –Steven
Erica Novak
28 years old
This woman is just plain nuts. She says things like, “If I was allowed, I would kiss his feet or anything else for that matter.” When she sees him, she starts crying. Randy insists Steven hugs her, but she oversteps her boundaries and grabs his ass, prompting Steven to say, “You better sing good.” And she was terrible.
The grab-ass continues as she hugs Randy, but thankfully she leaves, happy that she met her dream lover. Luckily, the creepiness ends there.
“I’m Britney.” –Brittany Kerr
“I say yes.” –Steven Brittany Kerr
23 years old
This girl looks like a barbie, so naturally when she sang “Spoiled” by Joss Stone and did alright, but needed work on her ability to project, JLo said “not now” and Steven and Randy send her on through. How did I know that would happen?
Before delivering us the big winner of the Savannah auditions, the producers gave us a real time filler: a montage of the good ones from the day in American Idol sepia tone. Just in case we’re that spacey that we already forgot what we just saw.
“You’re super special.” –JLo
Phillip Phillips, Jr.
20 years old
First of all, yes his dad is also named Phillip Phillips. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I think we may have found my favorite contestant – and on the first day! Imagine that. He’s adorable, he works in his father’s pawn shop (naturally, the Sanford and Son theme song is relevant), and he’s been performing in local venues to prepare for this. I think I’m in Idol love. He then sings one of my favorite songs, Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.” He’s growly and jazzy like Casey Abrams, but he can away with it, and will likely take it really far because he’s hot. Plus he plays guitar, and sings again with a country blues version of “Thriller.” DAYUM. Let’s just give him the title now, because I think he could actually win this.
Yes, I’m just crazy enough to make a claim like that this early. And if it blows up in my face, so be it. Who was your favorite contestant of the night? Did anyone make it who you thought should have gone home? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter. @KelseaStahler

The esteemed South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival will begin on Mar. 9 this year, starting things off with a film that has garnered a heavy sum of anticipation: The Cabin in the Woods. SXSW has announced that the movie, directed by Drew Goddard and co-written by Goddard and Joss Whedon, will play as the 2012 Opening Night Film.
Along with to getting to see what promises to be a striking takedown of the horror/thriller genre, attendees will be graced with a Key Conversation panel with Whedon, who also serves as a producer of the film. The Cabin in the Woods will star Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Brian J. White, Amy Acker and Tom Lenk.
In addition to The Cabin in the Woods, another exciting new project will be showcased at the conference: GIRLS, the new HBO comedy series created by, written/directed by and starring Lena Dunham, and executive produced by Judd Apatow. The series focuses on twenty-something Hannah (Dunham) and her friends facing the comical hardships of New York City life. SXSW is premiering the first three episodes of the series, and Dunham and Apatow will both be present, along with other members of the production team, for a GIRLS panel to follow the screening.
More in SXSW news includes new film announcements for the festival:
Beauty is Embarrassing (World Premiere)
Director: Neil Berkeley
A funny, irreverent and insightful look into the life and times of one of America's most important artists, Wayne White.
The Cabin in the Woods (World Premiere)
Director: Drew Goddard, Writers: Joss Whedon &amp; Drew Goddard
Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen. If you think you know this story, think again. From fan favorites Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard comes The Cabin in the Woods, a mind-blowing horror film that turns the genre inside out.
Cast: Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz, Anna Hutchison, Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, and Bradley Whitford
CITADEL (World Premiere)
Director &amp; Writer: Ciarán Foy
An agoraphobic father teams up with a renegade priest to save his daughter from the clutches of a gang of twisted feral children.
Cast: Anuerin Barnard, James Cosmo, and Wumni Mosaku, Jake Wilson, Amy Shiels
GIRLS (World Premiere)
Director &amp; Writer: Lena Dunham
Created by and starring Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture), the HBO show is a comic look at the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of a group of girls in their early 20s.
Cast: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver
MARLEY (North American Premiere)
Director: Kevin Macdonald
The definitive documentary on the life, music, and legacy of Bob Marley.
The Oyster Princess (1919) with original live score by Bee vs. Moth (World Premiere)
Director: Ernst Lubitsch, Writers: Hanns Kraly &amp; Ernst Lubitsch
The Oyster Princess is Ernst Lubitsch’s tart 1919 silent comedy that parodies the rich and the spoiled. Austin jazz/rock band Bee vs. Moth performs their original score live with the film for the first time.
Small Apartments (World Premiere)
Director: Jonas Åkerlund, Writer: Chris Millis
When Franklin Franklin accidentally kills his landlord, he must hide the body; but, the wisdom of his beloved brother and the quirks of his neighbors, force him on a journey where a fortune awaits him.
Cast: Matt Lucas, Billy Crystal, James Caan, Johnny Knoxville, Juno Temple, James Marsden, Dolph Lundgren, Saffron Burrows, Rosie Perez, DJ Qualls
The complete festival lineup will be announced in early February 2012.
The 19th Annual South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival runs Mar. 9-17, 2012 in Austin, Texas.

The filmmaker, who famously brought musicals Chicago and Nine to cinemas, will team up with Sondheim and Lapine for the project. Lapine is working on the script and Sondheim is composing new songs for the film version, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Confirming the news, Marshall tells the publication, "He’s (Sondheim) a genius when it comes to his score, but what’s so extraordinary is, he really understands all the elements of theatre - the choreography, the book and the production design - and has an amazing sense of the whole."

Each new year produces a handful of it-girls and men of the moment, and we here at Hollywood.com like to get ahead of the game by letting you, our loyal readers, know who’s going to be a big deal. 2012 sees a gaggle of films big and small hit theaters, and with them an army of actors working hard to make the most of their packed schedules. Some are big-screen veterans, others are relatively new to showbiz, but all of them are must-know names.
*This list was compiled based on the amount of films/projects each actor is a part of that will release in 2012, factoring in the size of the film(s) and their overall celebrity status.
Bradley Cooper
Cooper had a hell of a 2011, with The Hangover Part II and Limitless proving him a major box office draw and those dreamy eyes helping him join the ranks of People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. So what does the New Year have in store for him? No less than four films: David O. Russell’s new comedy The Silver Linings Playbook, in which he works with an eclectic ensemble including Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Chris Tucker, Julia Stiles and more, the action-comedy Outrun, the dramatic thriller The Words (which co-stars Olivia Wilde and his new girlfriend Zoe Saldana) and The Place Beyond the Pines, the new film from Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance. All the while he’ll be shooting Paradise Lost, an epic FX-driven actioner from I, Robot director Alex Proyas.
Chris Hemsworth
This Aussie became the superhero-du-jour thanks to his breakout role as the God of Thunder in Marvel’s Thor earlier in 2011, and he’s capitalizing on his newfound fame in a big way. He’ll reprise the part in May’s The Avengers, and has one-of-two titular roles in one-of-two anticipated Snow White adaptations (Snow White and the Huntsman) in June. Additionally, a pair of pictures he shot long ago will finally hit theaters – first the horror-thriller Cabin in the Woods, followed by the remake of cult favorite Red Dawn. Add in Ron Howard’s Rush, which he’ll begin shooting this January for an early 2013/late 2012 awards run and you’re looking at one of the most exciting careers to follow!
Channing Tatum
Tatum made our list last year thanks to a packed schedule including The Dilemma, The Eagle, The Son of No One and more, and 2012 is just as busy for the young A-lister. In January, Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire will finally hit multiplexes (in which he has a bit part) and we could see his ensemble drama Ten Year go wide at some point, but even if it doesn’t he’s got plenty of major motion pictures to promote. First will be the romantic drama The Vow opposite Rachel McAdams, followed soon after by Sony’s 21 Jump Street reboot. On June 29th, he’ll release a pair of very different movies – Paramount’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation and his second collaboration with Soderbergh, the male strip flick Magic Mike. But the best is yet to come, as he’ll star in Moneyball director Bennett Miller’s new drama Foxcatcher opposite Steve Carell, due in 2013.
Jessica Chastain
As stated in the introduction, this list is about both seasoned cinematic figures and rising stars, and was there anyone who had a more impressive year than newcomer Ms. Chastain? I think not. With films as wide ranging as Texas Killing Fields, The Debt, The Help and The Tree of Life (among others) she solidified herself as a dramatic force to be reckoned with in 2011, and the future is bright for the 30-year-old starlet. She’ll reunite with director Terrence Malick for his new, untitled romantic drama and also has a role in John Hillcoat’s anticipated prohibition thriller Wettest County opposite Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman. Additionally, she’ll star in a horror flick called Mama and a star-studded drama titled Tar with James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and more.
Bruce Willis
Here’s an example of a longtime film hero hitting it hard in 2012. While this isn’t the first fiscal year in which Willis has released multiple movies, it’s without question the busiest frame in his career. He’s slated to appear or star in no less than seven films, including big-budget blockbusters like G.I. Joe Retaliation and The Expendables 2, smaller action-thrillers Looper and The Cold Light of Day and more artful projects like Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom and Stephen Frears' Lay the Favorite. He’ll also turn up in the 50 Cent-produced thriller Fire with Fire and will shoot the highly-anticipated A Good Day to Die Hard and videogame adaptation Kane &amp; Lynch throughout 2012. Not bad for an elder statesmen.
Bryan Cranston
Though he’s best known as a modern TV icon thanks to his Emmy-winning role in AMC’s Breaking Bad, Cranston has been incredibly prolific on the big-screen in recent years. He appeared in six films in 2011, including Drive, The Lincoln Lawyer, Contagion and Larry Crowne, and has five major productions on the horizon in 2012. In January he’ll play an authoritative figure in Lucasfilm’s long-gestating wartime action flick Red Tails, followed by a turn in Disney’s mega-budgeted John Carter. He’s also got a part in Adam Shankman’s Rock of Ages adaptation and a villainous role in Sony’s Total Recall remake, and is currently filming Ben Affleck’s CIA drama Argo, set to hit theaters in September.
Zac Efron
The former High School Musical star has been trying to establish himself as more than just a pretty face for some time, and 2012 could be a pivotal year in his career. He dabbles in commercial and independent fare next year, with starring roles in Universal’s Dr. Seuss adaptation The Lorax and Warner Bros.’ Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Lucky One as well as parts in Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy and Josh Radnor’s Liberal Arts. He’s also going to appear in an untitled ensemble drama alongside Dennis Quaid, Heather Graham and Clancy Brown.
Alec Baldwin
We've had to wait until 2012 to finally see Baldwin's return to TV, and, lucky us - we'll also be treated to about five film roles from the beloved entertainer. He’s got parts in all kinds of movies, from indie comedy AmeriQua to indie drama Lucky Them, and even big studio flicks like Rock of Ages and DreamWorks Animation’s CGI spectacle Rise of the Guardians. But his most interesting project in unquestionably Nero Fiddled, Woody Allen’s new Rome-set romp, which will likely premiere at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
Jessica Biel
Biel is best known as a maker of mainstream movies (I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, The A-Team, Valentine’s Day), but 2012 will see her release a diverse slate of films. She’s got one of two female lead roles in summer actioner Total Recall, and will play a pivotal part in Gabriele Muccino’s new dramedy Playing the Field. In addition, she’s got a horror thriller titled The Tall Man in the can, and is preparing to film a pair of pictures that could screen next year – The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes. With any luck, we could also see the long-delayed David O. Russell political rom-com Nailed (in which she plays the female lead) release, but I’m sadly not holding my breath. And if she ends up wedding Justin Timberlake (as engagement rumors started swirling around the web earlier this month), it’s going to be a landmark year for the former 7th Heaven star.
Josh Hutcherson
This young talent has been on the rise for awhile, and with a resume that includes work with Robert Zemeckis, Jon Favreau, Paul Weitz and Lisa Cholodenko it’s a wonder he hasn’t been propelled to the spotlight sooner. In 2012 he has five films to release, and by the time the year is over he’ll likely be a household name. First he reprises his role from 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, then appears in an anthology film that sports a directing roster including Benicio del Toro and Gaspar Noe. March sees him starring in one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year – The Hunger Games – while he’ll then appear in the art-house drama Carmel opposite Alfred Molina and Hayden Panettiere. Finally, he’ll star in MGM’s Red Dawn remake in November, and by that point he’ll probably have already cornered several major films for his future.
James Franco
When is Franco NOT one of the busiest entertainers in showbiz? The Oscar-nominated actor and noted workaholic has been laboring at ludicrous speeds as of late, and his 2012 schedule is packed with somewhere between five and seven films that you'll probably never see including drama Maladies (with Catherine Keener and David Strathairn), thriller The Stare (opposite Winona Ryder), the fore mentioned ensemble drama Tar, the Linda Lovelace biopic Lovelace and another porn-centric drama called Cherry. All the while he’ll be shooting a documentary and filming projects for release in 2013. The man is a machine.
John Goodman
Finally, here’s yet another example of career resurgence. Goodman’s been working incredibly hard over the past few years and has been a part of some of the most acclaimed pictures of 2011 – Kevin Smith’s Red State and awards’ hopefuls The Artist and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Next year, however, is a whole other animal, as he appears in five movies including indie dramedy Thicker, dark comedy Spring Break ’83, Focus Features animated fantasy ParaNorman, and a pair of important dramas from Ben Affleck (Argo) and Robert Zemeckis (Flight). In between pushing those pics, he'll be shooting the Coen Bros. new flick Inside Llewyn Davis and Pixar's anticipated prequel Monsters University. Walter Sobchak is back in the building people.

The movie will compete for the coveted Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture prize, alongside The Artist, Bridesmaids, The Descendants and Midnight in Paris.
The film also earned nods in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role category for Viola Davis, as well as Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role thanks to Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer.
Trailing with three nominations was silent film The Artist and receiving two mentions each was The Descendants, J. Edgar, My Week With Marilyn, Bridesmaids, Albert Nobbs and Brad Pitt's Moneyball.
The nominations were announced on Wednesday (14Dec11) by guest presenters Regina King and Judy Greer, and the prizegiving ceremony will take place on 29 January (12).
The main list of nominees for the 18th Annual SAG Awards is as follows:
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
Midnight in Paris
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:
Demian Bichir - A Better Life
George Clooney - The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio - J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Brad Pitt - Moneyball
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:
Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis - The Help
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role:
Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn
Armie Hammer - J. Edgar
Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Nick Nolte - Warrior
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role:
Berenice Bejo - The Artist
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer - The Help
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Laurence Fishburne - Thurgood
Paul Giamatti - Too Big to Fail
Greg Kinnear - The Kennedys
Guy Pearce - Mildred Pierce
James Woods - Too Big to Fail
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Diane Lane - Cinema Verite
Maggie Smith - Downton Abbey
Emily Watson - Appropriate Adult
Betty White - Hallmark Hall of Fame: The Lost Valentine
Kate Winslet - Mildred Pierce
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series:
Patrick J. Adams - Suits
Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler - Friday Night Lights
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series:
Kathy Bates - Harry's Law
Glenn Close - Damages
Jessica Lange - American Horror Story
Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series:
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Ty Burrell - Modern Family
Steve Carrell - The Office
Jon Cryer - Two and a Half Men
Eric Stonestreet - Modern Family
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series:
Julie Bowen - Modern Family
Eddie Falco - Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara - Modern Family
Betty White - Hot in Cleveland
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Dexter
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series:
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office

Played father of five girls in Sofia Coppola's feature directorial debut "The Virgin Suicides"

Replaced an ailing Marlon Brando in a cameo role as a priest performing an exorcism in "Scary Movie 2"

Moved frequently as a child due to father's military career

Played an infamous defense lawyer who becomes a prosecutor on CBS legal drama "Shark"

Starred as Roy Cohn in HBO biopic "Citizen Cohn"

Played James Garner's younger schizophenic brother in "Promise," a CBS "Hallmark Hall of Fame" special

Contributed voice to animated series "Clerks: The Cartoon" (ABC)

Made first screen collaboration with Melanie Griffith in "Night Moves," directed by Arthur Penn

Made TV-movie debut in "All the Way Home"; aired as part of NBC's "Hallmark Hall of Fame"

Offered a fine villainous turn in "Against All Odds" as rival with Jeff Bridges for Rachel Ward

Voiced surf promoter Reggie Belafonte in animated feature "Surf's Up"

Acted in numerous plays at Harvard, MIT, and with the Theater Company of Boston before moving to New York City

Reteamed with Melanie Griffith as a drug dealing, thieving couple in "Another Day in Paradise"; also produced

Acted in the ensemble of the comedy-drama "The Choirboys"

Essayed real-life lawyer Eddie Dodd in "True Believer"

Produced first film "Cop"; also starred

Summary

The poster child for "intense actor," James Woods made an indelible impression on moviegoers with his no-holds-barred performances as fast-talking, hard-nosed, often violent men. Possessing a keen intellect and formidable IQ, Woods initially studied political science before turning to theater fulltime in 1969. He turned in impressive performances on the stages of Broadway, followed by small roles in film and on television before gaining notoriety alongside Meryl Streep in the miniseries "Holocaust" (NBC, 1978). His uncompromising performance as an unrepentant killer in "The Onion Field" (1979) only solidified his growing reputation as one of the most incendiary young actors on the scene. Throughout the 1980s, Woods turned in one riveting performance after the other in projects that included "Videodrome" (1983), "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984), "Salvador" (1986), and "True Believer" (1989). He continued into the next decade with films such as "Citizen Cohn" (HBO, 1992), "Casino" (1995), "Ghosts of Mississippi" (1996), and "Another Day in Paradise" (1998). On television, Woods briefly starred in his own legal drama series, "Shark" (CBS, 2006-08), and made recurring appearances as an animated version of his over-the-top self in the cartoon sitcom "Family Guy" (Fox, 1999- ). Over the years, Woods had built a career that encompassed film, television and video games, as well as established him firmly at the upper-echelon of great contemporary American actors.<p>Born James Howard Woods in Vernal, UT on April 18, 1947, he spent some of his early childhood in transit, due to his father's military career. After Woods' father passed away when he was just 13, his mother remarried and moved the family to Warwick, RI, where he attended high school. He intended to follow in his father's footsteps after graduation by attending the Air Force Academy, but an accidental injury to one of his hands forced him to change his plans. An exceptional student throughout his scholastic career, Woods received a near-perfect score on his SAT tests (he was a member of MENSA, and had been allowed to enroll in college math classes while still in high school) and decided to study medicine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before settling on political science as a major. However, he developed a love for acting while a member of the school's theater group "Dramashop," and appeared in numerous plays at the school and at neighboring playhouses. In 1969, he informed his mother that he was dropping out of MIT to pursue a career in acting, relocating to New York, where he landed roles in several productions, including a stint off-Broadway in "Borstal Boy" in 1970.<p>Woods also began logging time in episodic television series and supporting roles in several independent films, starting with the Joanne Woodward starrer "All the Way Home" (1971), an adaptation of the James Agee novel, and a rarely-seen thriller called "The Visitors" (1972), which was directed by Elia Kazan. He eventually worked his way up to supporting roles in network TV movies and studio pictures, including the cop comedy "The Choirboys" (1977), the all-star TV drama "Raid on Entebbe" (1977), and the epic "Holocaust" (1978). However, the following year proved to be Woods' biggest to date, following his turn as a psychotic ex-con and killer in Harold Becker's powerful true crime drama, "The Onion Field" (1979). Woods' striking features - a lean, angular frame, sunken cheeks, and heavy-lidded eyes - made him a perfect criminal, and the rage and violence inherent in his every line helped earn him a Golden Globe nomination and several critical association awards. For the next few years, Woods was the go-to performer for hot-wired villains and men of questionable character, playing them with relish in films like "Eyewitness" (1981), "Against All Odds" (1985), "Cat's Eye" (1985) and "Best Seller" (1987).<p>However, several directors took notice that Woods possessed qualities that exceeded the boundaries of his bad guy roles, so cast him against type as anti-heroes and even straight-forward protagonists. Maverick horror filmmaker David Cronenberg made him the sole voice of sanity in his disturbing technological fantasy "Videodrome" (1983), and the legendary Sergio Leone cast him as a tough but loyal gangster in his epic, "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984), which Woods would later cite as his favorite role to date. Meanwhile, Woods played a sympathetic lead in Ted Kotcheff's comedy-drama "Joshua Then and Now" (1985), and Oliver Stone found the heroic elements in his dogged investigative reporter in "Salvador" (1986). TV seemed to have the most diverse roles for him; he paired with James Garner in two powerful TV movies, "Promise" (1986), in which he played a schizophrenic and "My Name is Bill W.," which depicted the creation of Alcoholics Anonymous; as well as "In Love and War" (1987), he played real-life Vietnam War POW Jim Stockdale, who suffered eight years in captivity. Woods was nominated for an Academy Award for "Salvador" and won Emmys for "Promise" and "Bill W.," as well as a Golden Globe for the former.<p>As the Eighties drew to a close, Woods enjoyed more diverse roles on the big screen, including a sweetly sympathetic turn with Glenn Close as a couple hoping to adopt a child in "Immediate Family" (1989). His career hit a slight snag that same year when he co-starred with then-rumored girlfriend/onset lover, Sean Young in "The Boost," an overwrought drama about wealthy suburbanites who fall into a drug-fueled morass. The relationship exploded shortly after the production wrapped, and Woods publicly accused Young of stalking him and his girlfriend, which irreparably damaged her rising star in Hollywood. Woods, however, came away from the scandal largely unscathed, continuing to contribute impressive lead performances in a variety of genres. He proved a sharp comic actor willing to spoof his own onscreen persona in "Diggstown" (1992) and "The Hard Way" (1991), also showing his true versatility in a string of TV movies, including infamous lawyer and closeted homosexual Roy Cohn in "Citizen Cohn" (1992), for which he was nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe; "Jane's House" (1994), as a widowed father looking for love; "Curse of the Starving Class" (1994), as a violent alcoholic; and "Indictment: The McMartin Trial" (1995), as the lawyer for a family accused of horrific child abuse, which earned him another Emmy and Golden Globe nomination.<p>In theaters, he added several significant rogues to his growing gallery of villains, including a show-stopping turn as Sharon Stone's pimp boyfriend in Martin Scorsese's "Casino" (1995); Watergate conspirator H.R. Haldeman in Oliver Stone's "Nixon" (1995); real-life white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith, who stood trial for the murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evans, in "Ghosts of Mississippi" (1996), which brought him an Oscar nomination; and vicious serial killer Carl Panzram in "Killer: A Journal of Murder" (1996). Woods tempered this river of viciousness with a tongue-in-cheek performance as a sympathetic junkie thief in Larry Clark's "Another Day in Paradise" (1997), which he also produced; a fast-talking vampire hunter in "John Carpenter's Vampires" (1998); and a hilarious turn as the voice of Hades, the Hollywood hustler-like Lord of the Dead in Disney's animated film, "Hercules." He apparently enjoyed the latter part so much, he repeated the role in the direct-to-video sequel in 1999 and on the animated TV version (syndicated, 1998-2000), which netted him a Daytime Emmy in 2000.<p>His turn as Hades launched Woods into a lucrative and lengthy career in voiceover work for countless animated projects and video games. He spent much of the late '90s and early 21st century dividing his time between animation and live-action performances. 1999 alone yielded four excellent turns in "True Crime" as Clint Eastwood's newspaper boss, a deceptive football team doctor in Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday," a shady military man in "The General's Daughter," and the head of an emotionally disturbed family in Sofia Coppola's "The Virgin Suicides." He also hammed it up as an exorcist in "Scary Movie 2" (2001) and played a surgeon held hostage by Denzel Washington's irate father in "John Q" (2002).<p>In a disturbing turn of events, Woods became entwined in the government's investigations into the hijackings that lead to the September 11th tragedies. Woods happened to notice four men of Middle Eastern descent acting very strangely on a flight from Boston to Los Angeles in August of 2001, and notified a flight attendant that he feared the men were planning to take over the plane. No further action was taken in regard to this incident - as Seymour Hersh reported in <i>The New Yorker</i>, the FAA feared charges of racial profiling - but Woods later discovered that two of the men were among the 19 who hijacked the planes involved in the September 11th attacks.<p>Woods returned to TV movies throughout this period; he played a real-life museum director who was put on trial for exhibiting the works of Robert Mapplethorpe in 2000's "Dirty Pictures," which earned him another Golden Globe nomination, and in 2003, he played New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani in the highly sanitized "Rudy: The Rudolph Giuliani Story" (2003), which brought him another Emmy nomination. During this period, Woods also dabbled in behind-the-scenes work, co-producing the indie drama "Northfork" (2003) for brothers Michael and Mark Polish, and directed a short film, "Falling in Love in Pongo Ponga," which was commissioned by SKYY Vodka for its film festival in 2002.<p>In 2006, Woods returned to episodic television in a big way with the lead role in "Shark," a legal drama which allowed the acclaimed actor to tweak his screen persona and dig into meaty courtroom scenes. That same year, he also netted another Emmy nomination as a doctor suffering from an advanced case of ALS on "E.R." (NBC, 1990-2009) and proved himself an excellent sport by playing a hot-wired version of himself on "Entourage" (HBO, 2004- ). An avid poker player, Woods competed on several poker-related television programs, including "World Poker Tour" (Travel Channel, 2003-08; GSN, 2008- ) and "Celebrity Poker Showdown" (Bravo, 2003-06) alongside his brother, fellow actor Michael Jeffrey Woods. He routinely contributed his proceeds to the American Stroke Association. Sadly, Michael Woods died of a heart attack shortly after James finished 24th out of 692 players at a World Poker Tour event. The event rattled Woods deeply, and he spoke about it to newspapers while in production for "Shark." After his series left the airwaves, Woods kept busy with work in the Republican-centric satire "An American Carol" (2008), alongside fellow right-leaning actors Kelsey Grammar and Jon Voight. He later provided the voice of Owlman, the evil counterpart to Batman in the animated DVD feature "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" (2010). The following year, Woods portrayed former Lehman Brothers CEO Dick Fuld in "Too Big to Fail" (HBO, 2011), the Curtis Hanson-directed docudrama detailing the financial meltdown of 2008, a role that earned him an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. He next appeared in writer-director Rod Lurie's remake of Sam Peckinpah's brutal tale of suppressed violence and sexual politics, "Straw Dogs" (2011).

Met when she played his daughter in the TV movie Jane's House (CBS, 1994) ; Became engaged April 1997; Separated, then reunited and renewed engagement in early 2000; separated again in spring 2000; reunited by late summer 2000; No longer together

Married June 2, 1989 in Beverly Hills, CA; Legally separated on Nov. 30, 1989; Divorced in 1990; On Nov. 14, 1991, Owen alleged on TV show "Hard Copy" that Woods held a loaded shotgun to her head and also beat her; Woods denied the allegations

Born Jan. 7, 1957; Appeared with brother in several films including "The Hard Way" (1991) and "Another Day in Paradise" (1998); ran for mayor of Warwick, RI in 2000 and 2004 but didn't get elected; Died of a heart attack on July 26, 2006

Education

Name

Pilgrim High School

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Notes

"If I say I'm the best actor for the part, I mean it and I'm not kidding." – Woods

"I think the ideal situation is to have a good, creative director and a production entity which makes the work situation as much ours as possible. For me, what is most productive from a director is that he understand what the story is." – Woods quoted in American Film, May 1990

"Reading for a part is very important, actually. There's this sort of agency mentality: If you're a big star, they should offer you a lot of money, and then you deign to read the script. Except – and this is sort of a big secret around town – no matter how big a star is, when you want a part and you ain't getting offered it, you find a way to sort of make yourself available." – Woods in American Film, May 1990

"What's the difference between 'Sleepless in Seattle' and 'Straight Talk'? It's a roll of the dice." – Woods quoted in Movieline, November 1994

"I cannot imagine why a man would want to go to a prostitute. Why would I want to be intimate with somebody who doesn't care whether you live or die? They'd rather you be dead so they could steal your wallet." – Woods quoted in Movieline, November 1994

"Jimmy is a great actor. I can't say I loved working with him, because he was such an assh*le, but I love him. I've said this so many times, but working with Jimmy is like being pregnant. In the beginning, you're so happy and excited that you can't believe you have this endeavor ahead of you. And then in the middle, you're thinking, I might have made the biggest mistake of my life. And by the end, you just want it to be over with." – Melanie Griffith on Woods, quoted in Los Angeles magazine, February 1999

"I've heard her say that a hundred times and it makes me laugh every time. I tell her, 'You always leave out the best part, which is that as soon as you're done giving birth, 10 minutes later you can't wait to do it again.' She says, 'I know, I just leave that part out to aggravate the sh*t out of you.'" – Woods' response to Griffith's comments, quoted in Los Angeles magazine, February 1999